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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The wedding was in full swing. The guests were having a grand time when suddenly someone realized there was a problem. The wine had run out. What an embarrassing situation for the host! Clearly there was a need. The wedding was not over, and the guests would be expecting to have more to drink. Scripture doesn't tell why the wine ran out at that wedding in Cana. Maybe that amount was all the family could afford. Maybe the wedding planner underestimated the number of guests.

Mary knew that regardless of the reason for the shortage, her Son could remedy the situation, even though He had
gently protested when she brought it to His attention. She called to the
servants at the feast and told them, "Just do what He tells you."

Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.”And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.”And they took it. - John 2:7-8

The servants did exactly what Jesus commanded. He told them to fill the waterpots, and they filled them to the brim. He told them to immediately draw out some of the liquid and take it to the master...and they obeyed. They didn't stop to figure out if it made sense. They didn't argue or question. They simply did what He told them to do. The result was that potential embarrassment was averted, and a problem was solved...in greater measure than anyone could have anticipated.

Artwork by Kevin Cornell

The world system thrives on compromise. A law is created and people immediately try to find the loophole that would weaken its effectiveness. However, God's Word has no loopholes. King Saul found that out the hard way. God instructed him to kill all of the enemy, leaving nothing and no one alive. But Saul tried to find a loophole to suit himself.

And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. - 1 Samuel 15:7-9

Saul obeyed God's word only partially, choosing to keep the best things alive. As a result the kingdom was stripped from him and God anointed David to be king in his place. We often do the same thing....giving up the things (behaviors, relationships, attitudes) that don't matter much, but choosing to hold on to those that are most dear to us.

Is there a situation that you are grappling with? A troubled relationship? Financial difficulties? An ailment? An unresolved issue? There is a remedy for it in the Word of God. God's solution may not seem logical or even pleasant to your natural mind. However His remedy must be followed exactly as the Lord says, or the results could be disastrous. Regardless of what the situation is that you are facing, I encourage you not to try to look for a loophole or any kind of compromise. Follow the example of the servants at the wedding in Cana and....